Caribbean News
Traumatic Case of Policeman’s daughter kidnapped and killed elicits comments from Prime Minister
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#Jamaica, June 18, 2023 – Crime in Jamaica is now involving younger victims; as many as eight children have been murdered in the country since 2023 and the Prime Minister is weighing in after an 8 year-old girl was abducted from school and brutally killed; Danielle Rowe, the daughter of a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force was murdered on Saturday June 10.
Incomprehensibly, reports are that the little girl was found with her throat slashed in St. Andrew on Thursday June 8th; she was rushed to the hospital but did not make it.
Reports say she was abducted from her school, Braeton Primary in Portmore, St Catherine in a motor car and taken to Kingston where she was found, throat slashed.
Andrew Holness, Jamaica’s Prime Minister, who described her death as “deeply disturbing and barbaric,” pointed to the amount of children murdered since 2023.
“Already, since the start of the year, eight children have been murdered, three of whom are under 12 years old.”
He further spoke to the attitude that should be displayed towards crimes like these saying, “our indignation and intolerance of fatal violence must be expressed in the highest penalties as a deterrent and the stiffest punishment if the criminal was not deterred.
My Government will not resile using all the legal tools available to us in sending a clear message that violence of any form is unacceptable and in bringing perpetrators of violent crime to justice.”
Holness has directed that all necessary investigative resources be mobilized to bring those responsible to justice.
Police are also requesting the help of members of the public to help catch the perpetrator(s).
“We are urgently calling on the public to help us bring the perpetrator(s) of this horrendous act to justice. If you have any information that you believe can assist in solving this case, please do not hesitate to contact us. Your contribution could be pivotal in helping us solve this case and bring closure to the grieving family.”
Additionally, in efforts to enhance safety, Holness directed the minister of education to have all schools review their safety and security policies to ensure the policies and procedures are being effectively practised to ensure the safety of children.
According to a police release, Danielle Rowe was the daughter of a serving JCF member assigned to the St Catherine South Division.
Also, the release expressed the support, the thoughts and deepest condolences of the JCF family, to Rowe’s family, friends, and school community amid this traumatic event.
Caption:
Grade two teacher at the Braeton Primary and Infant School in Portmore, St Catherine, Gillian Walker, arranges flowers and a textbook on the desk where eight-year-old Danielle Rowe sat. A special service in Danielle’s honour was held at the school on June 12. (Photo: JIS)
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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